The Josh Gordon Group blog

Surveys can add persuasive power to a marketing campaign. They sell not by overtly asking for an order, but by creating the “persuasive facts” that customers use to make buying decisons. Call me skeptical, but having crafted hundreds of surveys that sell, when I hear a "persuasive fact" I want to know who created it, what bias it has, and what its creators are trying to sell me. Here is one such "fact" I've heard for years:

"There are more black men in prison than in college."

Do you believe it?

This "fact" was used by several candidates during the 2008 presidential campaign (including the guy who won) and is accepted as true in many social discussions. But the "fact" should not have been used. Let's take a look at how this "fact" came to be: